Photos: Justin Worrall Rider: Norbi Vasko - OWC - USA
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UNLEASHED WAKE MAGAZINE Unleashed Communication 2, rue d’Orbesson 31100 Toulouse, FRANCE ISSUE 62 September - October EDITOR & DIRECTOR Philippe Sirech PUBLISHER Philippe Sirech +33(0)7 87 95 37 40 +1(407)800-3567 philippe@unleashedwakemag.com EDITORIAL & WEBSITE Raynald Tanny +33(0)6 75 04 89 10 raynald@unleashedwakemag.com MARKETING & ADVERTISING SALES Philippe Sirech info@unleashedwakemag.com PR (Press Release) Stephanie PROTET +33(0)6 11 11 25 32 sephanie@unleashedwakemag.com CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Chris O’Shea, Dave Gesbriecht, Steffen Vollert, Tyler Soden, Bradlee Rutledge, Trevor Bashir, Justin Worrall. TRANSLATIONS Victoria Collins, Raynald Tanny COUNTRIES UNLEASHED FRANCE Marion Pinet +33(0)6 21 16 07 14 marion@unleashedwakemag.com UNLEASHED JAPAN Nagahisa Matsukawa +81 9 016 752 900 Matsu@unleashedwakemag.com UNLEASHED RUSSIA Katerina Yuerieva +79 25 26 304 36 katia@unleashedwakemag.com UNLEASHED CANADA Dominique Granger +1(514)267-1636 dom@unleashedwakemag.com UNLEASHED USA Philippe Sirech +1(407)800-3567 philippe@unleashedwakemag.com
Unleashed Wakeboard Magazine is published nine timesannually by Unleash Communication located at 2 rue d’orbesson 31100 Toulouse, France. All right reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is strictly prohibited. Unleashed Wakeboard Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited submissions including, but not limited tomanuscripts, photographs and illustrations. Disclamer: The activities described and photographed hereim are performed by trained athletes. Attempting anything contained within these pages could result in serious injury or death. Unleash Communication is not responsible for any injuries sustained by readers or the failure of any equipment shown herein. So wear an Helmet and a life vest !!!!
Photos: Brett Hemmings Rider: Antoni Van Der Wekken
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Summer is finally here, which means that it’s also the start of contest season! And this year, it all starts with the 18th edition of FISE Montpellier which is now part of the FISE World tour, a 4 stop world tour held in 4 different countries. Redbull, the energy drink that gives you wings, also brought us two of the biggest events in Europe, the Wake of Steel in Austria and the Redbull Rising High in Germany. Some of the biggest names in the industry took part in these contests such as the young and talented Aussie James Windsor, who will be telling us more about his passion for wakeboard in this issue. But UNLEASHED magazine is also a magazine with a heart “Stay strong Brad”! We have joined the foundation that was especially created for our friend and pro rider Brad Smeele who suffered a horrific injury while pushing the limits of the sport we all love and is now paralyzed at the tender age of 25. We are all doing everything in our power to collect funds for his long road to recovery so he can be back on the water in no time. #staystrongBrad Once again, we hope that we have provided you with the best interviews, reports and photos our sport has to offer, and the entire UNLEASHED team and myself wish you all a very happy summer 2014.
Location: Australia Edito: Philippe Sirech
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Water resistant watches for men like the new Freestyle The Karlton Watch put the F in Function-Fashion-Fusion with a style unmatched in a watch boasting 100 meter water resistance. These water resistant watches for men boast style and durability ready to open some doors for you and like all Freestyle watches, the Karlton is stocked standard with a limited lifetime warranty - ride with them till death The Freestyle The Karlton Watch also features the Day/Date, luminescent hands, a durable polyurethane strap or stainless steel bracelet with polyurethane center links, and a style all its own. www.freestyleusa.com
James Windsor Boardshort signature by Loose Kid. 4 Way Stretch Fabric. Gloss Silicone Prints. Rear Mesh Pockets with YKK Zip & Key Loop. www.loosekid.com
Burton Snowboards presents the “Fishing Lure” collection for Fall/Winter 2014, featuring a roundup of accessories covered in a fishing-inspired print. Various Burton backpack silhouettes including the Kettle, Provision, Tinder and Annex, as well as messenger bags, a cap, boonie hat, belt and hoodie are available in the range. www.burton.com
For ION each item in the product range deserves the same amount of attention to detail and quality. And because ION believes that the wake boardbags are an essential part of the whole equipment – because they can make the essential difference between f****** baggage carting and easy traveling + enough energy for a great day on the water – they offer different boardbags for your comfortable trip. Check out the whole ION travel gear on: www.ion-products.com
Here is the ultimate model to enjoy extreme winter conditions without loosing any performance thanks to the latest innovations : STORM DRY Technology, 100% ultra stretch and super light material (to leave your body free for any movement) and full taped seams outside. Available in chest or back zip offering the G-lock proof zipper. You are now ready to face cold water in the Fire Head. www.sooruz.com
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Having introduced its first ever eyewear collection earlier this year, BAPE presents today its new range for Fall 2014. The rather extensive offering includes both classic and sporty frames. The collection features sunglasses and glasses, in a variety of shapes, each featuring iconic A Bathing Ape design details, including the Bapesta logo, “R” logo and BAPE head logo. The full new collection is now available from BAPE stores in Japan. www.bape.com
The 2014 Hyperlite Franchise vest has been designed not to restrict your movement while on the water. With all new colorways, this vest is sure to bring all the ladies your way. www.hyperlite.com
One of the best products for boating this year has to be the new Pro X Series fat sacs. Fly High’s new line of Pro X Series Quick Connect fat sacs are made with Valmex material, which is similar to the materials used in making river rafts...and makes punctures and abrasions virtually a thing of the past. The seams are welded and taped so strong that common failures experienced with other sacs will never happen. After two years of joint engineering effort, improving and testing, FlyHigh has finally made a camouflage Valmex material that performs to their expectations. It will hold it’s camouflage color for years without fading. the camouflage print is not screened or painted on the surface, instead it is manufactured with the design inside the abrasion resistant UV stable Valmex material. Dimensions: 16» x 16» x 42» Weight: 400+ Lbs./181+ kg each www.waterskiersconnection.com
Opening Ceremony x Thierry Boutemy x New Era Collection. Opening Ceremony once again turn to the talents of legendary artist Thierry Boutemy, which last time resulted in an exclusive Vans collection. This time around, the two team up with New Era on a four-piece headwear collection. The range features two different hat styles – a bucket hat and the classic New Era 59FIFTY snapback. All four pieces feature allover, floral-leaning patterns and prints for a juxtaposition that results in a refreshing new look on such iconic pieces. You can pick them up now from colette. www.colette.fr
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SeaLife has taken camera technology to a new level, with the introduction of the world’s first permanently sealed waterproof camera. SeaLife’s new revolutionary ultra-compact Micro HD camera can be used above or below the water line and is guaranteed not to leak for the life of the camera. Measuring just four inches wide and similar in size to a deck of cards, the Micro HD is handy and compact. It’s rubberarmored esthetic design feels and looks more like a miniature SLR camera, yet it still has space for a built-in 2.4-inch LCD screen. But there are some things you won’t find like removable batteries, memory cards, O-rings, housing, openings, latches or doors on the Micro HD. www.SeaLife-Cameras.com
Hyperlite Management Wheelie Bag www.hyperlite.com
The Sixer is back and better than ever! The 2014 model glides faster, is thinner, lighter, and is more alive than you could have ever imagined! Ultra versatile and full of quickness, the Sixer comes equipped with a unique fin setup so you can maximize its versatility and effectiveness behind the boat! Ride it as a quad with large sides and small rear fins for solid drive and thrust out of the wake. As a twinzer with small canard fins in front of the large sides, the board pivots quickly without spinouts. And for the loosest feel, the Sixer can be ridden as a twin fin that turns on a dime. www.liquidforce.com
The last couple of seasons, Bill has been getting his feet wet in the fashion water parka world with his own signature no zip pull over designs. His urban, redneck, global expertise has brought about some of our best selling designs. This year, Bill had some cookies with girl scouts, fell in love with a camp counselor, and fabricated a energy efficient bug zapper. Bill and Frank, despite rumors are still on good terms and feature all of their years highlights in their new Hello My Name Is Collection. Oh yeah, back to the vest - made from a thicker 3mm material with greater padding for those untimely bails. The Coast Guard might not have approved it, but parading around uber discotecas and some log cabins, our friend Bill gave his stamp of approval. www.ronixwake.com
ARTY STEFAN ZSAITSITS
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Who is Stefan Zsaitsits? Austrian-born Stefan Zsaitsits creates intricately-detailed and deranged works with a sense of humor. Take for instance “Puppet,” an uncommon portrait of fairytale icon Pinocchio — half of his sweet face is scratched off with harsh dark lines. His wooden arm seems worn and his one bulging eye shows a mix of fear and sadness. Other anonymous figures seem to come from sort of equally distorted children’s tale. If you line up Zsaitsits’s quirky characters in a row — a little boy with a still-feathered chicken in mouth, a Magritte-like figure with no face except glasses and a floating ear — they look like clues to a larger narrative where it seems things went comically wrong. The artist’s paintings look more somber and eerie in contrast with many severed body parts and depressing scenes. No matter the medium, the artist creates intriguing scenes that entice the viewer even while threatening to turn them away with unsettling details.
ARTY APPLEHEADS
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What Are AppleHeads? Out of the forest of sarcasm, AppleHead Toys is ripe and ready to showcase its humor to the world. AppleHead was founded by the artist, Lacye A. Brown, a custom toy designer located in Atlanta, GA. Lacye goes by the name AppleHead. The nickname came from her elementary years and the kids taunting her due to my head to shoulder ratio. And through the years, the nickname never went away so she decided to embrace it. She started art professionally in the Fine Arts but eventually gravitated towards mixed media, sculpting for mixed media, sculpting and then designer toys. She feels she can express her quirky personality via toy designs. AppleHead takes pride in personification and enjoys installing a little off beat humor into majority of the pieces. A little whimsy never hurt anyone and we all need to laugh. She excels in creating a world where humor is used to relay a message. Whether it’s viewed as sarcasm, witty, bathroom, slapstick, horror or quirky, the goal is to allow people to not take life so seriously and laugh at life through my artistic perspective on the situation. AppleHead has art that fits for any human that desires to laugh or smirk each day. Find out what kind of AppleHead you are.
Photos: Christian André-Benoit Interview: Raynald Tanny
PASSION UUUUUU
HERVÉ ANDRÉ-BENOIT UUUUUUUUUU
HEY FISE ! WHERE DO YOU COME FROM ?
Hey Hervé, for those who don’t know you, you’re the creator of FISE. So we thought it might be interresting for our readers to know how it all started and what your plans are for the future… For starters, can you tell us how you came up with the idea of FISE? The idea came to me quite naturally actually. I had to do a project when I was in my second year of studying Sup de Co in Montpellier. I started riding BMX when I was young, then I started windsurfing, kiteboarding and wakeboarding so I wanted to create an event that would gather all of these sports on the same spot. I was convinced that to get media attention, find sponsors and develop this idea, I had to unite all of my passions. I spent a year working on this project with my friends from Sup de Co. The first event had wind surfing with Robby Naish, wakeboarding with Parks Bonnifay and Zane Schwenk, BMX, Roller blading and skating.
Each event had the same DNA but there was no direct link between t hem. We wanted to create a tour with an overall ranking and cash prize to be given to the top 12 riders. The idea was to give the public and the media a better understanding of the event and to give more prize money to the riders. Our objective for the next 3 years is to include the 6 sports that are represented at the FISE in Montpellier in the tour, which is already the case for BMX, Skate and Roller.
Today, FISE is 16 years old. What were the biggest changes between 1997 and now? The FISE evolved with the evolution of each sport. Wind surfing quickly disappeared and the mountain bike discipline first appeared in 2008. The set-ups evolved each year as we tried to bring in new features so the sports would evolve as well. For example in wakeboarding, we went from being pulled by a boat, to a jetski, to a winch and finally to a system 2.0.
Can the wakeskaters hope to see the waskating category come back to the FISE WORLD? Each year we try to find a budget for this category, but it’s not easy. We’re itching to bring this category back to the FISE as we’ve got some great ideas with FOX and the perfect spot is already in our heads, we just need to get the ball rolling…
After having organized over 150 events, I bet you have plenty of juicy stories to share with our readers? There are all types of stories. For example on the logistics side of things, one of our containers that was supposed to go to the FISE in Dubai was forgotten in trans-shipment in Malta. So we had to freight a charter plane from Russia in order to set everything up in time (25 tones and over 2000 parts )... But the juiciest stories often come from the riders... During an event that we organized in the Reunion island, we had organized for all the riders to travel together on the same direct flight. After the take-off in Paris, the pilot decided to turn the flight around and land at Nice airport because one of the riders was already highly intoxicated by that stage (he was starting to drool). The plane had to be emptied of all its kerosene in order to land and all the business and first class passengers had to be refunded…The estimated cost of this little hic-up was of 600000€ for the airline. The FISE has become an international event and is now called FISE WORLD. What were the motivations behind this evolution? We’ve organized a lot of events throughout the world in the last couple of years.
This year, wakeboarding was represented in two of the FISE WORLD stops, are there going to be more stops next year? Yes, our objective is to have 3 stops next year so we can have an overall ranking at the end of the year. We will decide who the winning candidate is at the end of September.
We know that event management can seem like a really cool job to most people, but when you’re a part of it you soon realize that it’s not easy every day as it has its fair share of highs and lows. How would you describe your job on a human level? It’s a great job!! We spend our time with people that are passionate about their jobs and in a universe that we love. It’s true that there are some nights when we don’t sleep, and sometimes we find ourselves in situations with people that are not that cool but it’s a bit like our sport, there are plenty of adrenaline rushes but sometimes you get hurt…But the more you do it, the more you want to do it again. Even though I spend a whole year fighting to get budgets, authorizations, building everything, struggling etc…when the day comes and you see the riders and public with a huge smile on their face, then it makes it all worth it and it gives you the motivation to start all over again the next year and create an even better event!! Thanks for answering our questions Hervé. Would you like to add anything? Yes, I would like to thank you Phillipe for your collaboration during all these years, it’s been a pleasure working with you guys. I would also like to say a big thank you to Unleashed for everything you do for our passion.
ITW
Photo: Johan Verstappen Interview: Raynald Tanny
Spot: Toulouse, France
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THE SENSITIVE ISSUE - INTERVIEW HHHHHHHHHHH
WITH LÉO LABADENS
You’re supposed to be celebrating your 10 year anni- I’ll definitely go to the zeach tour at least once! versary with your wife, but you qualify for the final of the wakeskate tour and it falls on the same weekend…which The brand CROCS offer you a contract for one do you choose? shoes, but the deal is that you have to wear them every day… What do you do? 10 year anniversary at the final of the wakeskate tour! Fuck ! An energy drink company takes you on as their ambassador for 2015. The ex French President Sarkozy is looking to The contract states that you must do a tour of the climb up the polls and asks you to join him kindergarden classes to explain to kids the benefits of in order to increase his popularity among the these drinks on their bodies. What do you do? youth, what do you do? Politics are like energy drinks, I don’t touch them! A time machine has just been invented. You are given the opportunity to go back in time and choose between You’re invited to «Dance with the stars», do a career in wakeskating or a career in football, which you go? one would you choose? No way! I wouldn’t change a thing a part from those wakeboarding sessions that damaged my knees. You are asked to sing at next year’s Superbowl, do you accept? On an ordinary wakeskate tour, «Zeaching» scores really high. The more you zeach, the higher your score. For sure, I’ll sing a good old French country What do you do? song! I couldn’t do it, it’s just too unhealthy!
COMP
Report: Donovan Tennant
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WAKE THE GOON - SOUTH AFRICA HHHHHHHHHHH
The event Wake the Goon which was proudly supported by Fox Racing South Africa and this saw some of SA’s most talented wakeskaters battle it out behind the winch for the R5,000 prize purse. La Mercy Lagoon made the scene for this event and the weather was cold and windy but this did not hold the riders back as they glided through the water busting aerial manouvers out of the man made pool and hitting some radical and technical manouvers off the rail to score maximum points. We had 2x 45min jam sessions and the riders were scored on their lines. The top 2 riders from each heat progressed to the 45 minute final in which the riders best lines were judged to be crowned champion. In the end 2 of the finalists were tied for first and the judges had to go to a tie breaker to decide the champ and in the end it was Darren “TwoStep” Turner who snuck past Dylan Mitchell for the win and the R4,000 prize. Final Positions: 1 – Darren Turner 2 – Dylan Mitchell 3 – Justin White 4 – Russell Daymond Best Trick – Troy Allers (BS 360 Shuv-it out of the pool)
MUSIC VVVV
STEF TOR - DJ SUNNEE VVVVVVVVVV
«I SUGGEST YOU»
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CUTTY RANKS - DEM A TWERK P-SQUARE FEAT
FRENCH MONTANA - FREAKS EXCUSE MY FRENCH
BUSY SIGNAL - PROFESSIONALLY PROFESSIONALLY
MAJOR LAZER - WATCH OUT FOR THIS FREE THE UNIVERS
KONSHENS - LOVE THIS LIFE MENTAL MAINTENANCE
PAMPUTAE - QUEEN INNA DI RING QUEEN INNA DI RING (SLACKAS RIDDIM)
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Matt Montoro
FISE Photos & text - Raynald Tanny
ANDORRA
2014
This is the first year that FISE has launched the World Series, and the wakeboarding category was represented twice in the FISE WORLD. The first was held in the well-known FISE Montpellier, and the second was held in the tiny country of Andorra. Andorra is principality located in the middle of the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain, and being in the mountains means very low temperatures…The spot was located at 2000m of altitude in the picturesque resort of Vallnord and the basin was filled with water meant for the snow canons…Which meant that the riders were going to ride in very cold water! The training were on Saturday and it was time for the riders to discover the set-up. The riders were already very impressed by the location, but the set-up really finished them off. There were two pools separated by some really original yet difficult obstacles. There was a 16m down rail, an up pipe and a ledge to wall that changed a bit from the usual set ups. The spot was clean but the slightest mistake was unforgiving…And it was German rider Steffen Vollert who was the first to pay the price.
Ben Leclair
Despite being one of the most promising riders of this competition, his ollie was a bit too shy and he ended up getting caught up on the rail and went straight to the hospital with a banged up knee. But the injury wasn’t that bad and he still ended up partying with all the other riders on the Saturday night. After the training sessions, it was time for the riders to go through a qualifying round full of surprises…The highly technical set up required each rider to do clean runs and without falling in order to go through to the next round. Both runs were counted and falling on the slightest trick really lowered the chances of making it through to the semis. Most of the head of series made it through apart from English rider Declan Clifford who didn’t manage to land his tricks on the day. The riders qualified for the semis were Mathieu Montoro, Tobias Michel, Julian Cohen, Yann Calvez, Ben Leclair, Scotty Broom, Antoine Allaux, Nico Minvielle, Hugo Charbit, Manu Rupp, Yanick Paton and Daniel Grant. On Sunday, the finals went down between bouts of sunshine and clouds, the only constant thing on the day was the level of riding and the commitment of each rider. Each rider really gave it his all to make it through to the finals and take home the title. With more training sessions on the set up, each rider became more confident and the tricks became more and more technical, especially on the ledge to down wall. And at this game, riders like Matt Montoro, Scotty Broome or even Antoine Allaux really showed everyone the technicality of their tricks. They didn’t always land the tricks, but you could clearly see the desire to win in their eyes. Well done guys! The semis started with 3 heats of 4 riders with only 2 riders from each heat going through to the final. The riders with the best runs were Daniel Grant, Ben Leclair, Antoine Allaux, Hugo Charbit, Mathieu Montoro and Yanick Paton. In order for the riders to really show off their stuff and to offer the spectators a fantastic show, the format of the finals was a JAM session. The riders had 40 minutes and there was no obligation to take any specific obstacles, the only objective was to prove to the judges that they deserved a spot on the podium. The tricks that really impressed the judges on the day were a nose press to blind and a hardway 270 on the ledge by Daniel Grant, and the style and elegance of Quebecker rider Ben Leclair. Ben and French rider Antoine Allaux were two of the most stylish riders of the competition with technical tricks and super clean landings. In other words, the final delighted the public but it was also a pleasure to watch for the judges who appreciated every single technical trick. And it was not surprising to see Daniel Grant take the lead of the competition in front of Canadian rider Ben Leclair, and French rider Antoine Allaux. Hugo Charbit and Mathieu Montoro were at the foot of the podium, with Yanick Paton, Tobias Michel, Julian Cohen, Manu Rupp, Scotty Broom, Yann Calvez and Nico Minvielle coming in behind them. The first edition of FISE Andorra was a great success with a massive level of riding on a unique and technical set up. We can’t wait for next year’s event!
Daniel Grant
Photos: Yannick Candé Text: Matt Crowhurst
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FOX PHOTOSHOOT tttttt
Mtn X Wake Sometime in April I get a call from Alex, the Marketing Director of Fox, he gives me the brief of the project and I was pretty stoked to be considered for this trip. Many emails were exchanged, many discussions had and many images shared amongst the team, all of which had the same focus in mind. Could this project be possible? Alex gets in touch with me explaining the concept, there’s a mountain bike rider who’s built a jump across a river on his land and we think you could hit it up in the water at the same time for a great stunt photoshoot. The combination of the two sports would be awesome. Whilst we came to the decision that this would be doable I was still a little nervous about the whole concept. It’s always difficult to see what you have to work with until you have actually seen it for yourself. Yannik Granieri was the legend Mountain Biker on the team that making this whole thing happen and he sent me some photos of the area, the river he’d be gapping and where we’d have to make this wakeboard rail thing happen by hook or by crook. We definitely had a winch so the tow was sorted but without knowing what would be available to make a rail I was kind of fearful that I’d have to be either kicking up a big spray or testing my wakeskate skills – which leave little to be desired. So, neither option was very appealing. Either way, the date was in the diary and we’d been told that some sort of rail or at least material that could be used for one had been sorted in Montpelier. Having been on the Fox team for so long, it was great to finally get out to the European headquarters in Barcelona and meet all the crew that allow us team athletes to continue doing what we do. Before heading North to Provence from Barcelona, we picked up the Simple Winch that had been sorted for the shoot. The closer we got the more nervous I felt, the team had put so much time and money into this project. Despite the ever lingering anxiousness in the pit of my stomach, I was excited for the whole, especially because I’d be working with fella Fox team rider and a huge name in the world of MTB, Yannick granieri. I was stoked to be a part of his project. After the fairly hefty journey from Fox HQ, we got to Yannick’s back yard, which is quite the playground if you’re into anything two wheeled. The only way to get to the river where we would be shooting, was in his 4x4 Suzuki or his truck. As we ventured further into the depths of his woodland playground it became more and more apparent that he had quite the insane set up, all nestled into what seemed to be a mountain range of his own. He has built this Nitro Circus like place in France over the last year or so and it is incredible. It had mountain bike trails, dirt jumps, MX track, FMX track, go karts, a barn with an Olympic trampoline, an air bag and a mini ramp. Definitely gave me a few ideas for the Debuse compound! We arrived at the spot; it was breathtaking and so different to anywhere else I had ridden before and I was pumped to get started. Yannik had put so much work and effort into his jump and it was like nothing I had ever seen before. It was all very much a reality now and the monumental efforts Yannick had put in added even more pressure to my situation, making sure I pulled my weight and came up with the goods. Now we were in situ, could see the set-up and what was needed, the rail provided was most certainly not going to do the job. This meant, that I needed to get my creative juices flowing and come up with something that would at least do justice to the gnarly and gap Yannick would be. No pressure then! With the modular rail totally sacked off now we set to wrestling with the few other options available to us.
Anchoring anything in the middle as the water was simply impossible because the river was too deep and flowing too fast, not to mention the fact we’d have to build a floating something from scratch and scraps. The banks to the river had been added to with huge vertical concrete walls so we toyed with the potential of a wall ride of some sort. However, the river was really winding in the section being gapped, and there was no way of getting up enough speed or of getting high enough up the wall to make it look decent relative to how huge Yannick would be flying over head. We were struggling to make it work. However, I was lucky enough to have the entire farm come action sports compound at my disposal so I set to work on finding something, anything, that I could we could build a make shift rail out of. There was a ton of old farm machinery which looked kind of cool but proved difficult to work with. After loads of rummaging and a good amount of stressing, I finally found something with more potential than anything so far – an old water boiler. We mounted it to the wall of the river and I gave it a couple of hits but it just wasn’t working for me. It was never to compare well to the MTB gap. With just siz hours left until we had to start shooting, the boiler idea was scrapped and off I went, now joined by a good few of the team, including Yannick, to find something that would make this shoot all that we knew it could be. As we searched, we realized that this particular farm must have been an old vineyard at some point. What this mean was that a good amount of long metal pipes, used at some point in the whole winemaking process had been left there. Long metal, gnarly, fully legit pipes plus a big old steel tube and I finally had something in mind that I thought would work. The aim was to mount the pipes, at an incline to the bank, rising up out of the water as high as we could get them along the shoreline, with enough room on either side of the rail for me to jib the crap out of them. The difficult part was fixing the contraption to the concrete wall so it would be stable enough to hit. This is where Yannick’s brother, Jerome, comes in without whom none of this would have been possible. He is quite the highly skilled Builder and Carpenter and he literally made it all come together. It took a few hours to get the rail solid, I got one practice hit just before the photographer turned up and then we had to wrap up the work so we could crack on with the shoot. As Yannik’s jump was so risky we wanted to get this done in as little takes as possible. He definitely didn’t want to risk his life too many times and I certainly didn’t want to be making him hit up the gap again and again because I kept fluffing the rail hit. So it would have to be a one or two hit wonder for me even though I’d had only the one practice, the rail was as sketchy as can be and we had to wing the timing to make sure I was in the best position possible on the rail while Yannick was directly over head. You can always tell when you get something right on a board, bike or any bit of kit when it comes to action sports shoots. Reason is, quite simply, there will be a big old roar from everyone watching, most of all the photographer once they’ve check the shot out. For four attempts, there was not even a waver of passion in response to my hits as I struggled to knuckle a solid, locked in jib. The palpitations and pressure was relieved come the fifth hit though, when all the crew who’d brought this thing together erupted as both Yannick and I landed and rode away. I guess this is the way highly specific ‘stunt’ style shoots are when you’re trying to capture never seen before action in a random spot and combining more than one sport. It was certainly a learning curve for me but such a buzz the whole way through. Can’t thank Fox and Yannick enough for making it happen. Here’s to the next trip!
Switch bs 180 indy Place: Lacanau, France
CO
OMP
Photos: Raynald Tanny Interview: Raynald Tanny
Benjamin Leclair Euro-trip
Hey Ben, so how was your trip to Europe? I’m guessing you had a great time? How long did you stay for exactly? I landed in Montpellier on May 28 for FISE and my plan was to stay for 8 days and then fly to Canada. After being in France for a couple of days and talking with all the riders I figured out I should have planned a longer trip because this place looked so much fun. After the contest I got a late invitation for the Redbull Wake of Steel in Austria which was three weeks later. I changed my flight and stayed in Europe until the 3rd of July and had a blast the whole time! Are there any spots in particular that marked you during your trip?
I stayed in Lacanau for a while with Kanar and Matt Montoro, that place was so much fun. A bunch of two tower cables close to the beach, our days consisted of surfing and wakeboarding and eating good food almost every day. I also went to TND cablepark in Damazan a couple of times. Such a sick cable with a sick crew who design the rails and shred the park. Which contests did you do? I did three contests on that trip. First there was the huge event of Fise in Montpellier, then Red bull Wake of Steel in Linz, Austria. A wakeboard set up on a boat with obstacles all made out of steel. I then went to Andorra for the second stop of Fise on the top of a mountain pulled by a cable on a bi-level pool set-up.
Are you happy with your results? Yea my goal for Fise in Montpellier was to have fun and try to make the finals and it all worked out and I ended up 5th. Then it didn’t go so well in Austria, the airline lost my luggage and I only got my board the day of the event but it was still super fun and a great experience. Then for the last event at Fise Andorra I ended up on the podium in second place with Daniel Grant and Antoine Allaux. I had an awesome time there visiting and riding, couldn’t be more stoked on how it finished. Which contest did you like the most? Fise in Montpellier was just insane! So many sports going on with the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen. A crazy set up to ride, a bunch of friends to ride with all week and mega parties to finish the event off perfectly. I’m already looking forward for next year’s event! I’m guessing you got to meet a fair few people during all these events. Were there any european riders that really impressed you? Yes I met a bunch of sick French riders on this trip. I got the chance to hang out a lot with Antoine Allaux in Austria and around Paris and he kills it! I also met the whole castor crew and saw the set up’s they do. Those guys are so sick to watch and have a true passion for wakeboarding. You got the chance to move around France quite a lot with French rider Hugo Charbit, how was that trip? Yea I travelled with Hugo a lot around France. We went surfing a lot and rode a couple of different cable parks together it was so sick. Hugo was a great surf coach and I’m planning on hanging out with him next time I come for sure! We also went fishing in the ocean around the island he lives at and played golf by the beach. Can’t wait to go back! Did you feel like you were warmly welcomed during your trip? There weren’t too many jokes about your weird accent? People in France seem to think we have an accent, but they do! My French is the original one! French Canadians are OG’s haha. Besides making everybody laugh with my French, people were so welcoming. Whether it was at cable parks, restaurants or their houses people always make you feel welcomed and it was always a great time. Do you think you’ll be back next year or was it enough this time? I’ll be back next year for sure, I just don’t know for how long yet. You guys will be stuck with me for at least a couple of weeks next season! haha In terms of the atmosphere between the riders, did you find it different to Canada or even the US? Or is it exactly the same, just with a different landscape? Compared to the Canadian scene that I’ve always been use to, in France the scene is way bigger! So many people ride, and everyone seems to know each other. You guys have so many cables with good crews of riders everywhere it’s awesome to see. And when it comes to the level of riding, do you find it good? The level is very good! Whether its wakeboarding or wakeskating there was always someone out there impressing to see. There’s also a bunch of younger riders who will be interesting to see in the next few years. Did you know that you had such a big following in Europe before coming over here? The scene in Europe is mainly about cable riding and winching and I’ve always been a rail and cable rider. I guess people have been following me through my web videos in the last couple of years. It’s always nice and surprising to see that people are appreciating and following what we do.
Bs lip Nose slide Place: TND, Damazan, France
Pole Jam, Tail Grab Place: TND, Damazan, France
Did this trip bring something new to your riding? For sure this trip has been good for my riding. Riding contests makes you learn to adapt quickly on set ups that you aren’t use to riding. It’s so fun to push yourself on new set ups like Fise and Wake of steel. And for your sponsors? For my sponsors I’m sure they are really happy with everything I’ve done this year. I’ve had more coverage than ever, two covers and a bunch of web videos. I’m also taking part in the movie Define Odyssey which will premier in Orlando on the Surf expo weekend. I’m also having two T.V episodes on a sports channel filmed in Fise Montpellier and a week in CWC going out in September. I’m just going to keep doing what I do and see where the future will take me with the sponsors. Is this a trip you would recommend to others? And what advice would you give so that the trip works out perfectly? I would advise everyone to make this trip for sure, one of the nicest places I’ve ever been. The architecture is incredible and has so much history. Then you have a bunch of good places to ride and you can even go surfing when you want a little break from the cables. Even though it’s tempting to stay at one spot and just ride there for your whole trip I would advise to go around the most you can and visit because it’s an all around fun place to see and the people are super cool everywhere. If you were offered a job and a visa in Europe, would you consider leaving your country or would you still stay in Québec ? Depending on what the job is but if it’s to wakeboard for sure I would quit Canada! France has nicer weather, more cable parks, good waves and nice mountains! Plus the food is great and the girls are nice haha! If you had to choose between a wakeboard trip in Asia during winter or a wakeboard trip in Europe during summer, which one would you choose? It’s too different to chose between one or the other. But if I had to choose I would have to take the trip to Asia or Australia during the winter because it’s the only chance I get to ride during the winter. But if my budgets gives me the chance to do both every year it will be perfect! What about the food? I probably ate 258 chocolate croissants during the month I was in Europe. I was addicted to pastries for sure! Hugo’s famous milkshakes with macarons were pretty amazing too haha. I was lucky to live at Slingshot France’s team manager’s house KANAR for a while and he was a great cook! I can’t exactly tell you names of the things I ate but it was always great! And the girls? I love the French accent the girls have in France! It makes them look sophisticated and they look really good too haha. Do you have a funny anecdote from your trip? Well when you fill up a hotel with only riders from around the world who wakeboard, skateboard and BMX, you’re going to see funny stuff all week in Montpellier. But the highlight was probably when we were on the 5th floor on Léo Labadens’ balcony with a water balloon launcher. Great times haha. Have you got other trips planned for this winter? I have no plans yet for the winter, probably go ride in the Philippines again this winter. There will be new set ups to ride again this winter. I’m sure I will figure something out to go ride somewhere with some friends and have a great time! Thanks for answering our questions Ben. Is there anyone you would like to thank for your trip? Thanks to you first of all for this interview and for all the good times on this trip. I have so many people I would like to thank from this trip; Antoine Allaux, Kanar, Hugo Charbit, Matt Montoro and the whole Castor crew! Also ALLIS POSSIBLE for the good times in Paris, I’d like to thank the organizers of Fise for making such a sick event for us. Also all the fun wake parks I’ve been to during the trip. To finish I want to thank my sponsors who support me all year long: O’neill Canada, Slingshot, Dragon, REPUBL1C, Axis boardshops and Boardparks. Merci!
BOAT
Photos: Yannick Candé Text: Philippe Sirech
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MALIBU tttttt
WAKESETTER 22 VLX ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
A completely new boat from the hull up, the 2015 Malibu Wakesetter 22 VLX is a total redesign of the previous 21 VLX model. This 22-foot model features a new running surface designed to deliver perfect wakes and waves for wakeboarding and wakesurfing. With Malibu’s amazing new Command Center, featuring the 12-inch MaliView and seven-inch MTC touchscreens, total control of everything is at your fingertips, including the now-standard Zero Off GPS speed control, Surf Gate, ballast systems, and the bigger, hydraulic Power Wedge II, a 2015 upgrade that builds even better wakes and has been engineered to get boats on plane much faster. Malibu Boats CEO Jack Springer is excited to be launching the 22 VLX at Orlando’s Surf Expo on September 4th. “Considering the popularity of our previous VLX, we knew we were improving something that was already great,” says Springer. “For 2015, our product-development team has delivered more new innovations than ever before in our 33-year history. With the 22 VLX’s new hull, our new Power Wedge II, and our unrivaled Surf Gate, we’ve made this the most versatile 22-foot boat on the market and have increased our surfing advantage with the continuing evolution of our wakesurf system. All of this makes it one of our most exciting 2015 boats, and I can’t wait to show it to the entire industry at Surf Expo.” The wake on the 22 VLX is easily fine-tuned for every skill level, from beginners to the top riders on our Malibu Pro Team. Malibu’s artisanal craftsmanship is evident in every aspect of this thoroughbred machine, with updates like the G3.2 Tower with easy latching, a three-mode Livorsi throttle, new hull graphics, transom seating, a drop-in Igloo cooler, and three new metallic gel colors to choose from. Upgrade options include the new gold-standard G4 Tower, the premium Power Wedge II, high-fidelity G-Force Wet Sounds speakers and amps, WakeView seating, and a new, intuitive analog control dial for the Surf Gate, Power Wedge II, speed, and stereo. Contact your local dealer to test-drive the Malibu Wakesetter 22 VLX and see for yourself why the truth is on the water. ABOUT MALIBU: Malibu Boats is the world’s largest manufacturer of water sports towboats. Malibu markets the Wakesetter and Response series as well as the Axis Wake Research brand through a worldwide dealer network. With some 450 employees and three manufacturing facilities, in California, Tennessee, and Australia, Malibu builds boats to help you live a #LifeWithoutLimits.
Photos: Andy Worral Text: Philippe Sirech
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WWA NAUTIQUE US NATIONALS ttttt
BSR WACO ttt
BSR (Barefoot ski Ranch) has welcomed the US Nationals for the first time this year by holding the first stop of the WWA World Wake park series 2014 in Waco, Texas. The two major stops for wakeboarding and wakeskating were held in an area of over 235 acres. The spot consists of a 1.2 mile boat area, as well as a 5 pylon cable park with home-made obstacles. There is a restaurant/bar that looks over the cable, and the area is surrounded by little villas with jacuzzis so that the riders are welcomed in the best conditions. Three 2 tour cables surround the northern part of the full-size cable: 1 for beginners, 1 with obstacles for the more advanced riders, and 1 with a pool-gap for the pros. The entire area is surrounded by the biggest “lazy river” in Texas. The US Nationals, presented by Rockstar and sponsored by Kawasaki and Parson Roofing, is an annual event that gathers some of the best riders in the United States and the world. This year, the WWA took the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone by organizing the first stop of the WWA WORLD WAKEPARK SERIES 2014 at the same time. The contest started on the Thursday morning, and number of participants was massive this year with over 400 riders competing in 49 different categories. The qualifications for all the amateur categories started at 8:30 on Thursday morning at the cable, with junior women, junior men and pro following on straight after. The boat comp also started at 8:30 with the qualifications of the boys and then all the categories until veteran. The day ended with the semifinals Men 1, 2 and junior men. What a day! The Pro men features category started on the Friday at the cable, and some of the best riders on the planet were there with cable riders like Daniel Grant , Tom Fooshee , Aaron Gunn , James Windsor , Graeme Burress , Yonel Cohen , Chandler Powel ,Jb O’neil, and boat riders like Jimmy Larriche , Olivier Derome , and Bob Soven. The pro women, pro men, and pro wakeskate categories were next and they went on until 4 pm, after which the cable was used for freeriding. The day was long for the boat riders too as they went from amateur to quarter finals and then semifinals, with the final being scheduled for the next day. The day ended at the BSR bar that looks over the cable. Catherine the head bar tender and all her staff did their best to tend to all the riders needs and serve them up some fresh drinks after a full on day. Saturday started very early, and all the WWA judges were on the dock at 8 am under the direction of Rob Corum. All the cable semifinals and pro finals, as well as the boat pro qualifications were to take place on the same day and 12 judges were required for these events. The semifinals took place in the morning, while the finals took place in the afternoon with the pro men, pro women, pro wakeskate and pro men features only categories. In pro men, the final consisted of Hunter Hanson, Daniel Grant, James Windsor, Aaron Gun, Chandler Powell and Tom Fooshee. It was a tight battle with a new format that included no falls but 2 runs with the best of the 2 runs counting. Tom Fooshee took the lead with an impressive run, followed by Chandler Powell in 2nd and Aaron Gun in 3rd position. In Pro Women, there were 10 girls at the start of the competition but only the 5 best riders were left. Tracy Baynham and Courtney Angus come from a cable back ground, whereas Taylor McCullough, Raimi Merrit and Meagan Ethell are pro boat riders but this didn’t stop them from competing for the cable pro women title. And it was the surprising Meagan Ethell that took home the title with a very aerial and technical run, followed by Courtney Angus in 2nd place and Tracy Baynham in 3rd. In the Pro Wakeskate category, our friend Clement Depremonville made the trip from Austin, Texas and made his way through a crazy semifinal to take the lead of his heat. Wakeskating legends Aaron Reed,
Reed Hansen and Brett Little also qualified for the final, as well as Daniel Grant and Christobal Mendez who were clearly there to take the title. It looked like the finals were going to be intense and that’s exactly what they were! Clément fought a hard battle but it was Brett Little who took the lead with a historical run full of crazy tricks, with Clem coming in second and Daniel Grant coming third. The pro men features category that everyone was waiting for took place on the cable at BSR with some of the best shredders on the planet. Chad Worrall, James Windsor, Aaron Gun, Tom Fooshee, and Yonel Cohen all won their places for the final which started with a 10 minute free-session at 5 on the cable. The riders were fighting hard with 9’s on the kicker and 540 transfers on the box and they soon turned it up a notch with no less than 5 1080’s on the kicker. Tom tried a Pete 9 in a last attempt at winning, but unfortunately fell. Yonel Cohen landed a heel side back side 1080 and a toe side 1080 and finally a 1260 just after the buzzer and took the lead in front of Tom Fooshee and Aaron Gunn. The runs were also very intense for the boat pro quarter finals. At the end of the day, all the riders headed to the Texas Ranger Museum in Waco for the award ceremony. The room was huge with over 50 tables of 10 people for the banquet. The ceremony lasted 3 hours between the meal, the award ceremony for all the amateur boat riders and the pro and amateur cable riders, and the thank you speeches. The award ceremony for the pro boat riders was the next day at BSR. The boat finals for all the pro categories took place on Sunday, and the day began with the pro junior men category. There were six riders in the final and they each had 2 runs with the best run out of the 2 counting. Gunner Daft did an exceptional run and won the title in front of Parker Siegle and Robby Holihan. 6 of the best boat riders were left in the pro women final with Raimi Merritt, Bec Gange, Taylor McCullough, Meagan Ethell, Amber wing, and Melissa Maquardt. Meagan, who finished 1st in cable the day before, ended up taking the 3rd position, while Melissa took the 2nd place with 2 really clean runs. It was Amber Wing who took the 1st place with some very clean and technical tricks during her runs. In the Pro wakeskate category, there was only Danny Hampson, James Blazer, Reed Hansen and Brian Grubb left in the final, and it was Brian Grubb who made the most of the G21 waves and took a welldeserved first place in front of Reed and James. For the pro men boat finals, the spectators came closer to the edge of the water at BSR to see the show. The finalists were pulled by a beautiful G23 fully equipped with ballast and fat sac which created a huge wave for them to play on. Bob Soven, Olivier Derome, Noah Flegel, Danny Harf, Rusty Malinoski, and Harley Cliford were all part of this historic final. The riders were in heats of 3 and they had 2 runs with no falls and the best run out of the two counted. The runs were really very impressive with 9s and mobes in every direction, with or without grabs…the riders really gave it their all! The battle was tough but Bob Soven saved his run by landing two 9s in extremis and took the 3rd spot. Rusty, who knew his run off by heart, had no difficulty in landing all of his tricks and took the second place. After landing an epic first run, Harley knew that he had won it all so he just had fun during his second run and did double backs just for the fun of it. This guy is just incredible! The 4 days of competition ended with a kicker contest and the boat award ceremony. I’d like to say thank you and well done to all the staff from BSR, and to the judges and calculators from the WWA for this crazy organization. The US nationals and the first stop of the WWA WORLD wake park serie were held in July in Waco, Texas and it’s now time for me to head home!
Chandler Powell
Photo: Raynald Tanny
Matmontoro thieu Interview: Raynald Tanny
What’ up
If you’re French or even European, chances are you already know who Matthieu Montoro is. However if you haven’t been following the European contest results and the Castor Crew, then you should definitely get to know Matt. Matt is one of the French riders that is pulling the sport to its highest level. And on top of that, he recently opened his own cable park in Lacanau. This was a great opportunity for us to interview him and for you to discover him!
Photo: Pierre Marie Caminati
Hey Matt, you’ve done heaps of contests this year, was this your biggest year travel-wise? Hey Ray, yeah I did a lot of contests this year. I try to do heaps in France and in other countries whenever I can. I love travelling and discovering new places and being able to measure myself against other riders. It’s always a great way to progress. I hope I’ll get even more time to travel next year. Which event really impressed you this year? The FISE in Montpellier without a doubt. For me it’s one of the best events and it should definitely not be missed! The park is huge and some of the best riders in the world came out this year, including wakeboarding legend Shaun Murray! It’s an event that really pushes wakeboarding, as well as all the other disciplines, to evolve into something bigger. Everyone should come and check it out, it is definitely worth it! You set up your own 2.0 spot this year in Lacanau. Is it a dream come true for you? Do you get to train more often now? Yes I’ve always wanted to build my own spot but things weren’t going anywhere. Then last year, I was asked if I would like to be an associate and build a wakepark in Hourtin, so I jumped on the occasion straight away! The wakepark in Hourtin worked really well so we got the chance to open a new wakepark in Lacanau. Things went really quickly, the paper work was approved over winter and the park was ready to open at the start of the season! I can build whatever obstacle I feel like and ride whenever I want, but it’s also a lot of work during the summer… I also get to train whenever I want but riding the same obstacles everyday isn’t all that great if you want to progress... that’s why I like going to other cables whenever I can! Have any well-known riders come to shred at your park? Not too many so far, we had our cousins from Quebec Yan Tibo and Ben Leclair. Marvin Kalter also came not too long ago, and Hugo Charbit. Daniel Grant and James Windsor were supposed to come here after FISE but they stayed with you instead Raynald… A part from that Manu Rupp came to set up the system 2.0 last year. Those who want to drop by are always welcome. You can wakeboard on one of our 2 spots, surf on one of the many beaches and Kanar will even make his famous Risotto. You haven’t built a pool gap yet, is it something that you’re looking into? It’s true that there aren’t any permanent pool gaps in France. I don’t think it would be possible on my spot because we have a lot of beginners but why not build a home-made one on the side one day. We’ve been thinking about it but we just need to find a better solution or find a spot that is better adapted. Do you think you’ll build other wakeparks in the following years? If I find a nice spot and that business is going well, why not! We would eventually like to develop the I Wakepark business, but for now we’ll just stick to what we’ve got, it’s already a lot of work! But if a good opportunity comes up then we won’t hesitate to reinvest. You go really high and really far on the kickers, do you have any advice to limit the impact upon landing? Yes: Come in really fast and bend your knees when you land! But it all depends on the cable and and the position of kickers. If the kicker is too far, then you’ll get a lot of slack in your rope and drop like a rock. If it’s correctly positioned, then you won’t feel the impact as much, but if you want to go big you have to bend your knees when you land no matter what. You’ve rapidly become one of the best riders in France, what do you think of the national level? One of the best, really? Cool ! That’s good to hear ! We’ve got a pretty good level in France but it’s always hard to compete with the Elite riders. For me, the best jibber in France is Antoine Allaux, his style is clean and technical. Vincent Sudrat, who is the founder of the Castor Crew, is pretty good too. He surprises me each time as he is very versatile. Then there’s Hugo Charbit who can do any trick at any time and is capable of landing pretty much everything on a kicker. But I think there is massive potential in some of the young unknown French riders…Their riding gets better every year and we’re soon going to hear more about them that’s for sure!
When you go on winter trips to places like TWP, do you ride non-stop and come back with heaps of new tricks, or do you prefer traveling a bit and discovering new landscapes as well as keeping fit during winter? All three I guess! Going to places like TWP and CWC allows me to discover new parks, new countries but most of all I get to ride fat new obstacles. Some of the best riders in the world travel to these places so I always get inspired when I see them ride. Travelling allows me to train hard, stay fit and see lots of new places…And sometimes I even land a new trick! We haven’t seen you do any air tricks for a while, have you given up on them for good? No not at all, I love doing air tricks and I do them quite often it’s just that I don’t have the level to compete these days…And doing air tricks is a lot more tiring that rails and kickers so I’d rather ride longer and progress on obstacles that are getting crazier each year. I do easy air tricks with stylish grabs just for the fun of it, but it doesn’t go any further than that. You’ve never been to America before, is it something you’re planning on doing in the near future? Yeah I’d love to go there, the level of riding is crazy over there! My dream would be to go to all the cable parks and meet all the shredders that you see in the videos at Jibtopia, OWC, BSR, Terminus, or even Backyard Rail Park! It would be a great opportunity to do huge winch trip with the Castor Crew, by the way if you haven’t heard of them you should definitely go check out their website www.castorcrew.fr . We could even go see the guys from Shredtown if we get the chance! If I get the chance to go see and ride all of these awesome places then I’d be there in a second! But unfortunately you need time and money to do all of those things… If I go to the bank tomorrow and finance your dream wakepark, what would you build? That would be insane! I’d build a huge complex a bit like Woodward with everything you need to ride in wake, skate, surf and even snowboard!! With a huge skate park with bowls everywhere, System 2.0s, pool gaps, regular and goofyfooted full size cable parks, a wave garden, and trampolines with massive foam pits on the side with a mega ramp. It would be my dream to have an indoor and outdoor complex to suit all types of weather, a kind of Disneyland for riders!! Would I get a free season pass? NO you would have to pay just like everyone else!! But as my main investor, I’m sure we can work something out... Aahah, just kidding... Dude you would get a VIP pass for sure! What are your thoughts on wakeparks in general? Do you find that System 2.0s are more fun to ride than full size cables or is it just different? I don’t think that one is more fun to ride than the other, I think that they actually really complement each other. When you ride a System2.0 you rides by yourself, there’s no one in front of you to bother you, and when you fall you get picked up straight away…there’s no need to swim and line up. Sure, there are less obstacles than on a full size cable, but the advantage is that you can really train properly on your tricks. The advantage of full size cables is that the atmosphere is more relaxed, it’s a lot less intense and the tension is different. Because I mostly ride System 2.0s, when I go back to riding a full size cable I feel a bit lost sometimes…but I guess it’s the same each time you ride a different cable park, you always end up adapting! Have you thought of any new and innovating obstacles? Yeah I have actually, I sometimes go on Sketch Up and try to create new and innovating obstacles but it’s not easy. I think that these days, we need to think of obstacles on which you can do all kinds of transfers. The obstacles I love the most are the obstacles at Lake Ronix, Kaesen’s signature obstacle from Unit or even Raph’s. Are there any obstacles in particular that you loved riding during a contest? I really liked the Transition and the pool gap from Unit that I rode at the H’Jam at Tsn44 and at the Plastic Playground at Liquid Leisure. But the one I love the most is the mega wall at FISE, the feeling you get when you get right up to the top is just insane!! Thanks for answering our questions Matt, we hope that you have a great end of season!! Is there anyone you would like to thank? I’d like to thank you for starters! I would also like to thank my sponsors ION, SLINGSHOT, BTR, the Castor Crew and our new partner OZED who make wooden sunglasses. Thanks to everyone that follows my adventures and supports me. And a massive thank you to Kanar, without whom I wouldn’t be where I am today! Peace!
Photo: Raynald Tanny
Photos: Raynald Tanny Text: Raynald Tanny
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FISE PORT GRIMAUD ttttt
FRANCE ttt
For several years now, the team from FISE has organized a contest on the beach of Port Grimaud, not far from St Tropez in France. Better known for its super yachts and its celebrities, Port Grimaud isn’t exactly known for wakeboarding…but with great wake parks such as the MUY and SOUTH WEST not too far away, the region is full of some pretty talented riders. The contest took place in a very relaxed atmosphere. There were no technical rails, no big wall rides, just a kicker to keep the crowd happy. And because “the customer is always right” and the team from FISE like to please the crowds, they organize a kicker contest every year for the greatest pleasure of the holiday makers that come to Port Grimaud beach for the show. But as I said in the text above, St Tropez is full of yachts and celebrities that live at night…And because we don’t have a 100m yacht to build two pools and a system 2.0 in it, we decided to have the contest by night. The spotlights were on, the speaker was there and the riders were all ready to rock! In the midst of all the local riders was American rider Julian Cohen. Julian has been moving around quite a lot this year and had been present on most of the podiums of the season and this was no exception. He took the first place in front of local rider Marc Negre who did some really impressive and technical tricks on the kicker to take the second place. The third position went to infamous party guy Yann Calvez, who is just as comfortable in a kicker contest as he is on the dance floor! The fourth and fifth positions went to Alex (Batar) Lajoix and Xavier Garni. FISE Port Grimaud was three fun days of partying and wakeboarding, and just like every other year, we’re definitely glad we came! See you all next year!
Marc Negre
Yann Calvez
WORDS
Photos: Alex savoie Interview: Raynald Tanny
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with Yan Tibo ttttt What makes a wakepark cool? First of all, the lake should be flat. It’s pretty rare to get perfect conditions on a big lake... I love it when the obstacles are home-made, its more challenging and its way more fun. The wakepark should also be in a tropical location, it’s nice to be somewhere where girls walk around in bikinis all day! What makes a trick look cool? I like it when a rider does a trick with his own proper style, either by going bigger than others or just by grabbing his board longer than others. Style counts a lot these days. What makes a board cool? Flexboards. I rediscovered wakeboarding when I started riding a flexboard. I’m really happy to see that the industry is heading in that direction and I consider myself lucky to be able to ride some of the best wakeboards in the world, Liquid Force. What makes bindings cool? Just like my wakeboards, I like it when my biddings are flexible. I get the feeling that I have less flexability when my ankle is held to tight. It’s the same for my snowboarding boots too. What makes a riding session cool? A good session is when all your buddies ride together and everyone rides at their best. Beach, girls, beer and BBQ are also essential! What makes a wake trip cool? Being organized without being organized! What’s the most important thing for a long lasting wakebarding career? You have to be healthy and fit like an Olympian. You should ride at your best in every contest you participate in and always have an updated list of tricks to compete well against other riders. For me, having style is a very important thing. What’s the most important thing in order to get sponsorship? Differentiating yourself from other riders, I find that wakeboarders tend to all look the same. You should do a maximum amount of contests and get a lot of images. The contacts and sponsors will follow. What’s the most important thing in order to progress? I have one word: “MOTIVATION”
Photos: Bradlee Rutledge Words: Jon Dickey
TRICK TIP
HOW TO O
S/W 270 front noseslide
O 1. Approach the rail with a mellow edge from the inside. 2. As you Ollie let go with your right hand and use your hips to spin the 270. 3. Once you land, lean forward and keep your upper body over the nose of your board. 4. Keep the handle low and close to get deep in the press and have the most control. 5. When leaving the rail don’t just plop off. Suck that backfoot up and roll off the nose of your board.
Location: USA Rider: Jon Dickey
Photos: Raynald Tanny Words: Vincent Sudrat
TRICK TIP
HOW TO O
Half Cab Roll
O 1. Edge into the kicker in switch heel side. 2. Once you’re on the kicker, open your shoulders and turn your board front side to a 90• angle so that your board is parallel to the kicker. 3. When you’re at the top of the kicker, push on your legs, bend your knees and grab your board in an indie grab (between your feet). 4. Once you’ve grabbed your board, throw your head backwards and spot your landing. 5. When you’ve spotted your landing, let go of the grab and turn your board 90• so that you land on your regular foot. 6. And that is how you do a half-cab roll!
Location: Lacanau - France Rider: Vincent Sudrat
Interview: Raynald Tanny Photos: Brett Hemmings
EVOLUTION
AND NOW J
with Scotty Green J
What is differences do you see between wakeboar- What was your ultimate goal when you decided ding when you started and how the sport is now? get involved in wakeboarding as a profession? There’s a big change in wakeboarding since I started back in 2000 bigger wakes new rails higher cables. Flexy boards and no fins . Back in those times it was all boat cable was gay and it wasn’t until the introduction of features cable started to get the respect from the boat crew. Some of my fondest memories from riding were from way back in the day riding at Logan / blibli cables with my old crew shredding the cable before it was knowing as cool. I used to work at blibli and had keys to the place so many mornings still awake from the party the night before we would open the cable at 4 am coming streight from the party and ride till the sun would come up come to think of it most of that time we would be off our heads lucky no one was hurt .. But great memories there’s no way you could do that now hehe.. The way everyone is riding has changes aswell back then was all about kickers and going big as u could and cutting as hard as you can. The new generation are rail riders every kid out at the cable can do any trick on a rail it blows me away there all locked on no zeeching haha
My goal when I started wakeboarding was to be able to do a flip haha and be sponcerd but after I learnt where it’s at I didn’t even care about being a professional ... I never considered myself a professional ... Just someone that loved to ride a board and if companies liked what I do and wanted to help out that’s even better I never made any money out of riding so defiantly not a professional... But my main goal was to ride with as much style as possible I would spend hours thinking about different grabs and how to grab different tricks different ways . For me it was never about the tricks it was about grabing in between what ever I was doing kinda felt like the trick was something I had to do before I could get the grab .when I started my goal was to be a professional wakeboarder but once I was riding every day quickly realised I’d rather not be I hate being sponcerd the pressure to do certain things all the time dose my head in I think that’s why I fit into double up way because I always do it on my own terms when ever it feel like it.
What do you see as the evolution of wakeboading in UK at the moment? Now you have realized all your original goals, what’s next? The evolution of wakeboarding in Australia in in a good direction at board stock this year we had a comp I feel like I have achieved all my goals in wakecalled playgrounds some ghetto shit that scared away boarding I have no desire to keep pushing I’ve been a lot of the so called pro riders which makes me happy doing it 14 years I like to go winching and cut a it was a knarley set up and scarey which makes me few laps of the cable but I’d rather drink a beer and stoked to be a part of it to me any set up that is sca- watch all the young crew do their thing for me I feel ring away pro riders means our sport is going in the like my riding days are almost over. right direction. I would like to see more people out I feel like I’ve done all I set out to achieve to .that doing their own thing getting creative with a winch. puts a smile on my face gets me stoked to know that For me I would like to see our sport evolve into more I have had a part in shaping wakeboarding to how it winching 3 guys a camera a car boards looking for is today I feel like I’ve done my part makes me feel anything to be hit .. All u need . That gets me excited a little proud... cable and boat not so much any more ..
GALLERY
ÂŤIn photography, it is not the photographer who is important...Âť
Yann Arthus Bertrand
Courtney Hangus - TND Damazan - France - Photo: Raynald Tanny
Jhon Broer - Holland - Photo: Dennis Dulko
Tim Aufdemgraben - Germany - Photo: Chris Lehnert
Jeremia Hoppe - Breddas Backyard - Sueden - Photo: Daniel Deak Bardos
Antoni Van Der Wekken - Holland - Photo: Dennis Dulko
Marvin Kalter - CWC - Philippines - Photo: Drew Austin
Sawe Oualiti - Malamar Wood Sessions - Barcelona - Spain - Photo: Hector Urzaiz Calpe
Kaesen Suyderhoud - Mc Cormicks - USA - Photo: Raynald Tanny